McLaren battle chaotic qualifying to seal 1-2 lockout in Hungary

Commanding a chaotic qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren defied two red flags and inconsistent weather to secure a front-row lockout, with Lando Norris leading over Oscar Piastri by a slim 22-millisecond margin.

Qualifying 1:

Making a drastic shift from Friday’s scorching conditions, the weather at the Hungaroring swung in a completely different direction as rain hit the circuit ahead of the green light.

The damp and uncharted conditions didn’t deter the drivers from completing their opening Q1 out laps on slick tyres, with the field gradually filtering out of the pitlane to commence qualifying in Budapest.

Daniel Ricciardo’s first attempt left him vulnerable in the elimination zone, a drop in performance put down to surprising brake issues for the RB driver.

His second attempt was barely an improvement, only moving the #3 marginally above the at-risk zone and into P15.

He drifted 20 milliseconds shy of a Q2 advancement, with running temporarily halted due to yet another qualifying blunder for Sergio Perez.

The red flag delay proved damaging to Ricciardo’s qualifying plans as the rain increased while the field was in the pits, making improvements on the timing sheets all the more difficult. 

Monitoring the sector times as only five cars took to the circuit post-red flag, there was an average loss on the earlier times. 

Disregarding this, Ricciardo exited the pitlane for one final attempt at getting his qualifying session back on track.

Encouraged by Zhou Guanyu’s personal best sectors, Ricciardo started his final flying lap from P16. 

The #3 improved in Sector 1 by 65 milliseconds, following the green trend in the middle and final sectors to record a stunning time of 1:17.050s.

The Australian skyrocketed to the top of the order, demoting his 19 competitors on his way to complete safety after a rocky first session.

Daniel Ricciardo stops in the Pitlane during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

Carrying on his usual Q1 form, the opening session of qualifying in Hungary was relatively smooth for Oscar Piastri, with the McLaren driver advancing with no questions asked.

Throughout the opening session, Piastri made his way to the top of the order, securing fastest sectors and gaining wet weather knowledge on his way to Q2.  

Piastri advanced in P11, avoiding the elimination zone that claimed two shock exits. 

The rain eased in the opening minutes of the session with a racing line promptly forming, however, incidents weren’t a rare occurrence.

Logan Sargeant kickstarted the dicey Q1 moments, locking up into the first braking zone and running head-on into the barriers.

The Williams driver sustained damage to his front wing and front suspension, leaving his mechanics flustered as they attended to his car after his Turn 1 run-in.

Turn 8 was also the scene of many crimes, with George Russell narrowly avoiding a recreation of his teammate’s FP3 spin before Sergio Perez outdid both Mercedes drivers.

Like clockwork, the Red Bull driver’s qualifying woes went from bad to worse after losing the rear of his RB20 over the harsh kerbs. 

Russell’s misfortune didn’t end after his Turn 8 moment, however, clearly remained in sync with Perez as he too suffered a shock Q1 elimination due to not having enough fuel on board for a third push lap. 

Russell sat over a tenth away from safety, joined by Zhou and two frustrated Alpine drivers who were advised to wrongly remain in the garage during the final stint. 

Qualifying 2:

Q2 was a much more straightforward session, with both incidents and weather easing as the drivers battled it out for a place in the top ten shootout. 

Carlos Sainz was the first and only driver circuiting the track in the early moments of the session, recording a 1:17.028s lap, instantly quicker than Ricciardo’s Q1 benchmark.

After doing so, the remainder of the grid trundled out of the pitlane to attempt a greater feat.

Piastri followed the majority’s lead as they filed out of the pitlane, setting an opening Q2 time of 1:15.785s that included a purple middle sector.

That lap, recorded on used tyres, was quick enough for P2, just 15 milliseconds behind Max Verstappen’s benchmark.

Max Verstappen during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

When all drivers barring Ricciardo had set their banker laps, Yuki Tsunoda was the driver at risk, two-tenths clear of Valtteri Bottas in eleventh place. 

Bottas was accompanied by Sargeant, Albon, Hulkenberg and the risky strategy-running Australian in the elimination zone. 

At the other end of the spectrum, the top three including Verstappen, Piastri and Sainz were all hoping to hold onto their top achievements to advance through.

With just three minutes on the clock, the field emerged.

The RB driver finally left the pitlane after watching on for the first 12 minutes of Q2, taking the confidence from topping the table in the opening session as he led the way around the damp track.

Crossing the line before his competitors, Ricciardo jumped into a nervous P6 with a time of 1:16.202s.

Biting their nails as they watched the timing screens, the RB pit wall witnessed Ricciardo dropping down the order, however, it was a joyous sight to see the Australian advancing in P9.

His teammate also advanced, making it a double Q3 appearance for RB.

Piastri had the liberty of abandoning his final push lap, watching the dying moments from the pitlane in the comfort of his Q3 security.

Raising heart rates in the Mercedes garage once again, Lewis Hamilton survived the session by just one-hundredth of a second to Hulkenberg in P11. 

Along with the Haas driver, Bottas, Albon, Sargeant and Magnussen were eliminated in Q2.

Qualifying 3:

With rain forecast to hit the circuit five minutes into the top-ten shootout, it was a hurried first effort for the fastest half of the field.

Verstappen led the charge, setting purple sector after purple sector on his way to secure a 1:15.555s benchmark.

Norris was the only driver able to bring the fight to the championship leader, flying to the line with the new provisional pole time of 1:15.227s.

His lap was three-tenths faster than the Dutchman’s, a potentially crucial feat as teams were forced to react to the impending weather forecast. 

Piastri’s first time was a 1:15.863s lap, a ride that saw him twitching right to the line. 

Oscar Piastri dips a wheel on the gravel during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: LAT Images.

After a record-fastest reset in the pits, the drivers were keen to get back out on track, however, that was a momentary blitz. 

On Ricciardo’s opening Q3 attempt, the Australian set the tenth fastest time, 1.3 seconds off the benchmark.

His second attempt was halted by his teammate’s very costly error after Turn 5, leaving the #22 VCARB 01 a crumpled mess.

Tsunoda ran wide as he exited Turn 5, jumping across the grass before prompting a Red Flag with 2 minutes remaining.

One driver to record a lap before the Red Flag cancelled running was Piastri.

The McLaren driver had a very successful run, boosting himself onto the front row alongside his teammate with a time of 1:15.249s. 

Despite this, Piastri queued in the pitlane, being warned that his rivals would try to race him on the out-lap and to not over-impede at the pit exit. 

Those rivals did not include Verstappen and Alonso who had been told they would not improve on their used tyres, and the obvious absence of Yuki Tsunoda.

As the light went green in the pitlane, Norris led, Hamilton, Piastri, Ricciardo, Stroll, Leclerc and Sainz, with the #81 playing the team role as he legally held up the pack.

Confirming the decoy theory, Norris and Piastri filed straight back into the pits, claiming the front two grid slots, separated by just 22 milliseconds, and celebrating together in parc ferme as their rivals took the chequered flag on track.

Max Verstappen completed the top three, set to share the second row with Carlos Sainz alongside him.

The 2025 Ferrari line-up will occupy P5 and P6, with Hamilton leading over Leclerc on tomorrow’s grid.

The Aston Martin duo had a quiet Q3 session, ending the prolonged qualifying hour with a Row 4 lockout.

The decision to complete a final lap was only virtuous for Ricciardo who in crossing the line, moved ahead of Tsunoda and into P9.

The RB duo achieved a lockout of their own, scoring Row 5 for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Taking the five lights within the points, Ricciardo will be hoping for luck to be on his side, and his competitors to hold up the out-of-position drivers, if he is to achieve another welcomed points haul tomorrow.

Lights out for the Hungarian Grand Prix will occur at 23:00 on Sunday (AEST).

Image: Andy Hone / LAT Images

Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

2024 Hungarian Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday July 19th:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday July 20th:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday July 21st:

Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00

Race Start: 23:00

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